Planting Trees

Trees are usually some of the first things that we plant in the spring. All trees should be planted before the weather gets hot because the heat makes their ability to adapt and thrive questionable. Fall is the other good time to plant trees.

This graphic is funny-but true. Too many people dig holes way too deep to plant their trees in. About two years ago I was watching a program on Home and Garden Television and learned that the old method of planting trees had changed…and why.

While in college I did a lot of landscaping work around my parent's home. At that time the nursery instructed us to dig a hole for the trees about 1/3 deeper than the top of the root ball. I remember that we lost several of those trees to unknown causes. I learned that the reason was crown rot from the wet soil too high on the trunk of the tree.

In the last two years I have watched several landscaping shows on Home and Garden Television and this is the rule of thumb for planting trees of any variety:

• Dig the hole no deeper than the top of the root ball or container.
• Water the hole thoroughly before planting the tree.
• Add time released fertilizer to the bottom of the hole before planting. Follow the directions on the package of fertilizer.
• Remove the burlap or take the tree out of its container and place in the prepared hole.
• Take a straight stick and lay across the hole to see if the top of the root ball is level with the top of the hole. Make needed adjustments.
• If the soil does not have to be amended just backfill the hole half way and then water again.(*If the soil needs to be amended see below.) Fill the remainder of the hole with the dirt and water thoroughly. Follow watering directions for the kind of tree you have planted.

***A good rich mix for any planting that you do is:

3 bags of topsoil
1 bag of peat moss
½ bag or manure

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